


Bright Eyes of Fire

by Maiden22



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: A deeper dive into Charmander, Pokemon don't have names in this, The dialogue and everything about it is staticy and weird on purpose, damien is mentioned but i dont care, like always, mostly referring to how Charmander talked about himseld, oh yeah, pikachu is quiet creative with his curses, specifically in the beginning up to Ash gaining his trust, the rocket trio is too, they pick up names though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23423353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden22/pseuds/Maiden22
Summary: You lost, and it was glorious.The look of defeat on your face made me absolutely smug.I was the best,And you failed.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 97
Collections: Ash Ketchem Best Works





	Bright Eyes of Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Charmanders thought on the Bright eyes boy he met and traveled with

You were a bright eyed boy,

No older than 8 I believe.

The kids around you scoffed and jeered,

But through angry tears you remained soft with me.

You played and laughed,

With the grass and the water.

They warned you about me.

They warned you about the fire.

Yet you crawled near,

Placed a gentle young hand against scorching skin.

You gave no mind to the heat.

"You're gonna be the greatest,"

You said, smiling despite the gap in your teeth. "I'm gonna see you be the best you'll ever be."

You filled me with a warmth I never knew.

Suddenly I felt I could burn brighter than the stars that guided me at night.

I burned brighter than any fire could burn.

But luck...Wasn't with me.

You were too young to harness Fire, Grass or Water.

Too young to do anything, but see me grow from afar.

It was years since I saw you again.

My memory of you faded,

Nothing but bright eyes and your words echoed in my head.

But the words lost meaning,

And your eyes lost light.

The fight in me died.

Time and time again i lost,

no matter if it were against water or grass.

I couldn't seem to win.

I trusted my trainer.

Trusted the one who promised me strength.

Only to receive nothing but scorn.

  
  


Many winters passed,

and now I laid above a stone.

Training, he called it.

And I believed every word.

My master was a cruel one.

His words and methods were not ideal.

But he was my master

And I was his servant.

  
  


I grew weaker and weaker,

Seeing no hide or hair of him.

Just a few more moons.

On a day, like any other,

I met another creature.

He was fine, a bit dirty.

But healthy and happy.

Lightning struck before me,

Yellow fur and bright eyes.

A boy came.

His eyes were bright, but he seemed to only need me.

I never learned his name,

I knew he was friends with the Lightning.

  
  


Upon my asking,

They left.

No fighting, no yelling, no guilt.

He wished me luck,

And left.

Water from the sky began to pour down not long after.

No sign of my master,

And no sign of that boy with lightning.

I didn't realize how weak i was before,

The rain echoing how cold my body really was,

How it lead to echoes of my empty stomach.

My tail flame was low, and while it would not die,

I would not take the risk.

The pronunciation of my weakness grew stronger and stronger,

Winds attacking my body were much more frigid then normal.

The rain stinging against my scales.

And the ones of wind.

Angry beasts of winds came down, mocking me,

Hurting me.

Nails scratching against thinning scales,

a young leaf being my only protection.

It grew warm again much too quickly, my tail no longer in active rain.

When i opened my eyes,

lightning was staring at my face.

He was saying something, something odd.

The boy holding me was one I did not know well, if at all.

But looking down, I could see the one with bright eyes, holding something over my tail.

A barrier.

I was unaware humans could make barriers.

Soon the world of darkness overtook my sight.

I was out for the longest time from what I could tell.

When I awoke to a thick string covering my body.

It soothed the scratches against my scales, easing the pain from before.

Looking around, I recognized everything and nothing.

These were things the healers showed me before, but none of it looked the same.

Suddenly i saw the boy,

The boy with bright eyes and lightning by his side.

There was more than lightning now.

There was a wind by him, and a grass, and a bug that draped across his back.

He looked small, compared to the beasts curling around him.

  
  


His eyes were open, staring at me.

Yet he said nothing.

With a low nod, I began to walk away.

"Be careful out there," His voice was soft.

I paused, glancing back at him.

His team of wind, lightning, grass and bug did nothing but stare at me.

Daring me to do something else

Something more.

"I know you're gonna be the greatest-"

My heart stopped

"And I know i can't make you do anything, but please, please, stay safe...Okay?"

I couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything as I scrambled out of the room through the opening on the wall.

What could I do?

The boy sounded so similar to the bright eyed boy I met years back.

But no, the boy was too young.

Wasn't he?

Crawling slowly back to my training rock, I began to think.

Why was he there? What had he not stopped me? I was not his slave, and I doubt he knew my master.

He was too kind to even know my master.

  
  


Doubts began to crawl in my head,

As I stood before the rock.

My training.

Eyes searching for something,

Anything.

But there was nothing.

I was fooled the moment i met my master,

I was played.

This was no training,

My master wasn't anything to me.

I felt nothing...

Nothing but fear.

Thoughts overcame my mind,

Memories of flinching,

Of dreading,

Of losing,

...

Of giving up.

I was fire, meant to grow and rage and consume.

Yet i sat, atop the thinnest of branches,

to be contained,

To be controlled.

I lost myself.

Before I knew i was something.

  
  


Burning anger grew in my gut,

a pit of hatred swirling and threatening to leave.

My master betrayed me.

And like a fool,

I let him.

My anger died,

Filled with nothing but regret and remorse.

My master chose me,

He was cruel,

But I was his.

And to be pitiful enough in his eyes,

To have to be saved by another human.

One with bright eyes and lightning by his side.

Bright eyes...

The one who let him leave at his will,

The one who saved him despite his scorn earlier

The one who has a bug on his side.

The one with a Wind and a Grass

The one whose harnessed Lightning

And the one that Fed at his fire.

He gave one look at the rock he laid upon,

Mind debating the rights and wrongs.

  
  


He took a step back,

And another.

He found himself walking away from the rock, and towards the rising sun.

Towards bright eyes and gentle smiles.

  
  


He made it back to the den of the healer, finding it easily with its blue walls.

But bright eyes was nowhere to be seen.

Dejectedly he huffed and began to wander more.

He heard it,

The lightning’s roar.

"LEAVE ME ALONE YOU KITTY FUCKER!"

Despite the odd curse he rushed over,

Heart thrumming in his chest.

Lightning was in a pink bubble,

And Bright eyes was crawling from a hole,

Battered,

Bruised,

And angry.

"You leave Pikachu out of this!" Bright eyes snarled, teeth gnashing. "Give me my friend back!"

Friend...

Is that what he called lightning?

The cat mocked them,

Mocked Bright eyes,

And Fire had enough.

"You leave them alone," He stood forward, angry and seething.

They mocked him,

Made fun of him.

And the anger sweltered in the pits of his stomach.

Without a thought he screamed.

A burst of uncontained flames echoed his throat,

Scorching the roof of his mouth ever so slightly.

He didn't care,

He was satisfied with the screams of disbelief and pain.

When he stopped, it hurt for a second to breathe.

But he was satisfied.

Bright eyes ran up to him, with Lightning at his side.

"Charmander that was amazing!" he knelt before him, giving him a gentle smile as Lightning pounced on his shoulders. "Thank you so much for saving me and my partner!"

The warmth of the praise shouldn't have affected him so much.

But it did.

It twitched some satisfaction in his gut, even as the trainers around him debated.

The bright eyed boy leaned down.

"Charmander?" there was a pause as he brought out the strange spherical device he was usually in. "Would you like to come with us?"

He wanted to go, he wanted to go so badly.

But his Master returned.

He didn't know what to do.

He was Fire.

And he had a choice

To let one fan him and keep him alive.

Or to let one destroy him and keep him young.

The choice left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He was done being played with.

With a big gulp of air he let loose another scream.

This time the fire didn't burn the roof of his mouth.

But the fire burnt his master.

His master threw the spherical device that was his.

And with a stroke of luck.

Fire slammed it right back to him, breaking his unit without a second thought.

His master- not his master anymore- ran away sobbing, screaming something or other.

Fire felt the slightest bits of pity for his former herd, but could not bother with their stupidity.

If they could not see the master for who he was.

Who was he to tell them anything.

Bright eyes held the unit up and tossed it in the air.

He was giving him a chance.

But Fire knew what he wanted.

With a leap of faith and a happy cry,

He slammed an orange claw against the unit, and felt the familiar electric warmth of red surround him.

For once, the unit didn't feel cold.

It was as warm as a fire could be.

  
  


The next time you brought me out there was a girl, and a boy.

I recognized the boy as the one who held me, though the girl I could not recall.

I was sure they were there when you caught me.

But i couldn't bother with them.

You kept the name my master gave me,

Charmander.

It was not my name, but I let you use it.

You were careful and soft, held me close and tight

You were so warm.

You asked me questions, questions I didn't know I could answer.

What's your favorite food?

What's your favorite color?

Do you want to battle?

All the questions rang in my head.

I could not answer a single one.

Lightning stood by my side and waved you away.

I was scared, fearful for a reason I could not understand.

Yet you listened to Lightning, gave us a pat on the head and said you'd be back.

Don't leave me alone with Lightning.

I said nothing, and you heard nothing

You walked away.

Lightning turned to me and began to talk.

"You alright there Charmander? You seem tense."

"My name is Fire, Lightning, please remember that."

He blinked at me, eyes wide and alarmed.

Did I say something wrong?

"A-ah, sorry i forgot." He smiled with no teeth. "My name's Pikachu, by the way, but I'll be sure to remember to call you Fire."

Pikachu?

It was strange how close all of them were. I learned their names, albeit slowly.

Bulbasaur, the grass pokemon with a strong head and even stronger ideals.

Pidgeotto, a beauty of wind that seemed content to be in the ground as much as the sky.

Butterfree, a delighted bug that seemed to just adore their trainer.

And Pikachu, the lightning that never left our trainers side.

I met new pokemon.

Water, who quickly took the name Squirtle, and another water that took the name Krabby.

Poison, who took the name Muk and seemed far too happy to be with them.

A fighter named Primeape, that was more bull headed then the bulls on our team.

And plenty of bulls, though they all seemed to adapt the name Tauros.

Not a single one of them forgot his name was Fire, so he took care to not forget their names either.

  
  


He didn't know when that changed.

  
  


He was fighting a tall grass, it knowing psychic and all. And despite the odds he managed to win.

Something had changed, after he won the fight Bright Eyes came to cheer for him.

But when Fire turned to look, he could see nothing bright at all.

The world looked dull in his eyes, nothing standing out in particular.

But he felt the fire in his belly curl with a mighty rage.

"Charmeleon! Great job out there!" his trainer threw his arms around him, seemingly happy.

Happy because he grew stronger? Why was he happy?

Was he happy cause Fire changed?

In a short burst of anger, he spat a flame into his trainer's face, ignoring the screams of surprise as he upturned his nose.

He was returned.

Weeks passed on and bright eyes seemed insistent to use him.

What the heck was the point?

Bright eyes didn't seem to understand that Fire didn't care anymore. What was the point of battling, when in the end they only cared about the end result.

Lightning came up to him with half perked ears and a sour look on his face.

Maybe he finally saw Fire's way.

"What in Mew's sake is your problem!" Lightning snarled, surprising him. "Ash is our Friend, our Trainer! And yet you treat him like Tauros Shit! What the fuck happened to you Fire!?"

With a snort he flicked his tail at the mouse, even though Lightning didn't flinch at the movement.

"Well, Lightning-" He drawled, ignoring the pitched growl aimed at him. "I don't see why you respect him so much, the dumbass doesn't even know what he's doing. Listen, when you stop being such a loyal mutt, come talk to me."

And he flicked his tail forward before trying to slam it into Lightning.

Not that the mouse moved, just glared at him before stomping away.

Probably to his trainer.

Idiot.

He had to admit though, the only reason he stayed with Bright eyes was cause of the random shit he got into.

Somehow, someway, things always went wrong for the boy. And without hesitation, he always called out for Fire.

Which was dumb, he didn't care to help, he just wanted to watch the chaos.

The Ancient rock was a fun one, growing wings to kick the crap out of an Ancient while simultaneously frying his trainer?

Fucking, Score.

Of course the idiot still thought, he'd listen to him.

Why would he? What was the point of that?

His nickname got changed to Charizard but it didn't seem to register to Bright Eyes that that wasn't his name.

Sometime along the way, Bright eyes got an invitation. Cause he was strong?

How dumb was this other trainer???

But it wasn't a trainer.

It was a monster like him, that had a monster like him.

He was beaten down so easily, he tried fighting as hard as he could but he was nailed at every corner.

And bright eyes ran up to him.

"CHARIZARD!"

And the world went dark.

He woke up minutes later to his copy beside him.

Another Winged Fire like him.

One who had no name.

The beast rammed into him, growling, snarling and biting.

And Fire returned the favor.

He quickly found out he couldn't use any moves, but batted the copy away as hard as he could.

He could see Water, Grass, and air fighting beside him.

But where was Lightning.

Grass seemed to be taking a beating, unable to use his vines to really maneuver out of the way.

Water was at a standstill it seemed, neither seemed to have the upper hand.

Air was screeching, kicking and fighting. Though the power of flight seemed to elude her.

He let out a roar, digging his fangs into the clones arm, desperate to win a losing battle.

The clone paid no mind, just attacked back.

Finally he spotted Lightning, the poor pokemon looked battered beyond belief.

But he was standing.

And not moving.

His copy rammed into him, and Lightning let himself roll before picking himself up again.

No blocking,

No hitting.

What was the moron doing!?

"No more fighting." Lightning spoke, his words seemingly echoing across the field. "This isn't right."

Was the mouse fucking nuts!?

He was too busy fighting to get a hold of the rest of their conversation. Flapping his wings to gain some sort of intimidation.

And he heard it.

The sound of someone yelling.

At once, he and his copy turned to see the two Gods duking it out.

And Bright Eyes was running right between them.

"Stop Fighting!" He yelled, just as the two gods launched their attacks.

"STOP FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!"

And the blasts hit him.

Fire couldn't see at all, the blast forcing him to close his eyes, too bright for him to look at.

When he did...

Oh no...

Lightning raced over to their trainer, and in a tinge of panic, Fire followed.

It seemed as if his companions thought the same thing.

"Satoshi! Satoshi wake up!" He slowed down to a stop, just as Pikachu bounced around in an effort to rouse their trainer.

But he wasn't moving.

"Satoshi!" Bulbasaur inched forward, vines shaking their trainer with little force.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Pidgeotto tried jumping on his back.

He didn't move.

In a last ditch effort, both He and Squirtle launched their respective fire and water moves.

No response.

What was his trainer doing?

Pikachu seemed adamant, shaking their trainer even as the other took cautious steps back.

"SATO-" He launched a thunderbolt. "SHI!"

Again.

And again.

And again.

Finally, it seemed their friend lost his energy and drive.

And it locked in their head.

Their friend was gone.

Pikachu was the first to do anything, he mouse was always more in tune then the rest of them.

But he looked at them, and held onto Satoshi's unmoving body.

And wailed.

Fire lurched back, as if slapped, tears cascading down his face.

And with that.

He cried as well.

A friend he didn't want.

A friend he thought he didn't need.

A friend who was there.

Encouraging him.

Helping him.

Saving him.

Was gone.

He was gone before Fire could ever pull his head out of his ass.

He mourned for the friend he didn't know.

And for the lost time they'd never get back.

He wailed with his family beside him.

They stood by sobbing, Fire laying his wings against them as Pidgeotto mimicked his actions.

And something changed.

It was a soft sound at first, like a scuttle that any pokemon could have made.

But-

"Pikachu?"

"SATOSHI!"

They jerked up, just in time to see Pikachu slam into Satoshi, wailing his little heart out. And Satoshi sat up. Confused, but comforting his partner no less.

Fire jerked out of his awe, instead, rushing over to curl around his trainer along with his family.

They cried, together, as one for the family that brought them together.

"Charizard?" Fire jerked a bit, looking back down at his wide eyed trainer.

He stared back down, letting his tear fall before butting his head against his trainers head.

"Charizard." He rumbled, letting the heat of his trainer wash over him.

The legendaries floated down toward them, and in an instant they acted as one.

Charizard snarled, flaring his wings to peek over his head, Pidgeotto screeched, Squirtle and Bulbasaur both stood in front of Ash, both a barrier and as attackers.

And Pikachu.

Pikachu hissed, crackles of lightning pathetically lighting against his fur.

If looks could kill...The legendary and its clone would have been dead long before they could hurt them again.

But they apologized, said some odd spiritual thing to absolve themselves of blame.

And let them free...

With a price.

  
  


Charizard wanted to scream,

He wanted to fight tooth and nail.

This was unfair!

He had just found his name.

He had realized his wrongs!

Why was there mistake their problem,

Why was it that any lesson they learned needed to be erased!?

For their safety,

What a fucking joke.

They couldn't fight it.

And Charizard just hoped his understanding of his trainer followed him.

....

Yesterday was odd for Fire,

It seemed like the entirety of the world just skipped a day.

Bright eyes kept talking about a weird feeling,

And feeling cold.

How dumb.

  
  


Days went on and you used me less.

I was angry of course.

I was a fire, made to burn.

And you were a cap,

Trying to put me out.

I was angry, furious even.

And you still had the gall to try and call me.

It was a big match, that I could tell.

And there was an itty bitty Fire.

The Baby flame began to quake,

Squeaking some form of fight with him.

With a snort, I batted him away pretty easily.

While young, it was a battle of Fire.

And I would not lose.

But the other human called back the Baby Flame,

And sent out a spiked Lightning.

He looked just like Lightning, but had a tuft on his head.

He wasn't really worth it.

Whatever that trainer thought,

Spiked Lightning was far weaker than any other pokemon he must have had.

He wasn't worth my time.

I laid down, ready for an easy nap.

I could hear bright eyes yelling, but I couldn't really be bothered to care.

You lost, and it was glorious.

The look of defeat on your face made me absolutely smug.

I was the best,

And you failed.

I was yelled at,

By Lightning, by Water Turtle, by Water Crab, By Wind, By poison, and By Bull.

Not that it mattered to me.

I kept my pride.

We went somewhere new.

And you took me,

Like a moron.

I was still not listening, something you didn't seem to understand.

There was a frog of water....

And it beat me..

I was frozen, for what felt like an eternity.

Unconscious for what felt like years.

And I woke up to warm rubs,

And soft words.

When I looked at you, you hadn't stopped,

You hadn't bothered to look at me.

But I heard the words of the artist.

And the failed water trainer.

They said give up.

They said quit it.

They told you to let me free.

...

And you didn't.

Instead you stood by my side.

Like you did with Lightning,

And Grass...

And Waters...

You never left...

Did you?

You were always by my side,

You were always fanning my flame.

And instead, like a Poison,

I hid behind harsh words,

And unfair punishments.

You are my friend.

Bright eyes.

I am sorry.

You fell asleep sometime in the night.

You're tiny paws rubbed raw,

They would be fine.

I let you sleep, rising my inner flame to make sure you stayed warm through the night.

When sun rose, I followed.

I gave you a thumbs up.

You seemed so amazed.

And it hurt that I caused that.

Again we went to battle.

And with you by my side.

I won.

  
  


Light-no- Pikachu...

He cheered me on,

By your side.

And in his eyes I was forgiven.

Forgiven for the sins I had made.

  
  


The others seemed just as amazed.

And they trounced me in happiness.

None were as disappointed, or as disgusted as I expected.

They cherished that I was back, and cherished that I was here.

It was eye opening...

And amazing.

  
  


"Alright, Fire." Pikachu cheered, spinning tightly before facing me once more. "We have a new Training Regime! Get ready for some hard ass kicking!"

I suppressed a snort, grinning slightly.

"Glad to finally join in." I smiled, "And come on there lightning boy, call me Charizard."

The name felt so familiar.

So warm...

When Pikachu cheered my name loudly, the others joined.

And bright eyes looked at me.

And smiled.

"Welcome back Charizard." He smiled. "I told you, I would see you grow to be the greatest. The best I'll ever see."

I had to choke back tears, instead roaring out an agreement.

Ash was like the bright eyes boy I met...

And I wouldn't trade him for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> This was random, i know, and its jumbled, but i tried to make sense of it XD


End file.
